Volume 1, Issue 1
October 2014
Counseling & Testing
W
E
S
OUR STAFF
 Peggy Crowe, Ph.D.
Interim Director
 Karl Laves, Ph.D.
Assistant Director
 Debra Crisp, Ph.D.
Training Coordinator
 Brian Lee, MA, LPA
Staff Counselor
 Elizabeth Madariaga, MA
Coordinator, Sexual Assault Services
 Betsy Pierce, MA
Coordinator of Outreach
 Todd Noffsinger, MAE
Emerging Services Clinician
 Sharon Ercey, BS
Coordinator of Testing
 Julia Johnson, AA
Office Associate/Director
of Awesomeness
 Teresa Jameson, BA
Office Assistant
 Pat Rowen, M.S.
Doctoral Psychology Intern
 Kelley Wilson, M.S.
Doctoral Psychology Intern
 Siera Bramschreiber, BS
Masters Psychology Intern
 Cody Haynes, BS
Masters Psychology Intern
SAVE THE DATE!
Tuesday, Oct. 7,
local author David Bell,
will speak at the Bob
Kirby Branch at 6 p.m. to
celebrate the release of
his new novel The Forgotten Girl.
In recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness
Month, Bell will be making a
donation equal to the price of
a book to BRASS, Inc. for
each copy sold at the event.
T
E
R
N
K
Help
E
N
T
U
is
C
K
Y
U
N
I
where
Contrary to common stereotypes, counseling/therapy can
be more than just talking with
another person in a private
setting. While the powerful
practice of talking, connecting
and being heard by another
human is very beneficial for
individuals struggling with day
to day stressors and psychological disorders, it is not the only
process to healing. From the
beginning of time people have
practiced 'non-talking' activities
that promote psychological and
emotional healing. This is the
first of a series of our newsletter
articles to describe 'Non-talk'
forms of help.
The WKU Counseling
and Testing Center would
like to introduce you to Dr.
Lacretia 'Cre' Dye of the
WKU Counseling and Student Affairs Department.
Dr. Dye is a Licensed
Professional Clinical counselor, a Certified Yoga Calm
V
E
R
you
for Children Instructor and
Trainer, and a Registered
Adult Yoga Teacher. She
and a group of students, staff
and community members
have initiated 'The Love
Group'. This group hopes to
bring students/staff/faculty a
healthy 'non-talk' help outlet
by initiating a Live Drum
Circle every Thursday at 7
p.m., outside Pierce Ford
Tower Hall.
All are welcome to drop
by, play drums and rhythm
instruments, dance and socialize all while releasing
built up stress from their
busy week.
Traditional practices,
common sense and professional knowledge all come
together to support the value
and benefits of rhythmic
sound and movement. Much
like meditation or running,
Start your week off
with an open heart, mind, body!
Every Sunday evening
at 6 p.m., take time to
breathe and set the intentions
for your week by joining Dr.
Dye for 'Gentle Soul' Restorative Yoga in the Preston
Center Dance Studio.
Rejuvenate and
strengthen your mind, body
and heart through gentle
yoga instruction. Classes
focus on alignment, posture,
and celebration of the heart.
The highest intention of
S
practicing is to align and
harmonize with the flow of
life and reconnect to our
bodies.
Benefits include: deeper
connection to self and others;
revitalized energy and
strength; stronger immune
system; increased flexibility,
stamina and focus; and an
overall better mood. No experience needed and those
new to yoga are especially
encouraged to attend.
I
T
Y
find
it!
through drumming, both
mental and physical stress
are released.
Drumming circles also
have the added benefit of
being a social outlet, ultimately, a place where people
can experience 'belonging'
without rigid rules or expectations. The common traditional 'White' academic notion that if you 'free' your
mind, your 'body' will follow
permeates current therapy
and counseling theories.
However, more and more we
are learning that when you
free your body your mind
will follow.
Managing stress levels
involves both mind and body
work! Thanks to Dr. Dye and
the 'Love Group' students
now have another option to
maintain mental and physical
health. Drum on, Cre Dye!!!
Testing Services
Available
The Counseling and Test. offers most national
ing Center
tests such as CLEP, MAT,
LSAT, DSST, ACT, NBCC,
PCAT, HESI and COMPASS.
Residual ACT and Chemistry
Placement tests are also available. For more information on
testing dates, see
www.registerblast.com/wku
PRAXIS testing dates are
at www.ets.org/praxis.
Questions may be e-mailed
to: testingcenter @wku.edu.
P a g e
2
C o u n s e l i n g
&
T e s t i n g
Words of Advice:
H o w
By Karl Laves
Karl Laves, went through five
break ups and has been happily
married for 26 years since the last
one.
Don’t use the word survive.
No matter how bad it feels, you are
not dying. If this is the worst pain
you have ever felt, then you have a
blessed life. Seriously, people are
dying right now of starvation, poverty, war, disease…..so while
breakups hurt, don’t romanticize
them into something they are not.
Millions of people get through
break ups each year. You will too.
t o
S u r v i v e
a
B r e a k u p
real. In other words, you have to
spend time with someone to know if
you want to end the relationship or
stay together. Every relationship has
the possibility of ending. Don’t fear
breaking up; it is the only way of
finding the person you will be with
forever.
Think of a kid who gets to go
through a toy store and pick out
any toy he or she wants. Some kids
will grab the first toy they see and be
Turn off the television. Few
relationships depicted in popular
media are realistic or healthy.
That is why they are on television;
they are meant to engage your fantasies and entertain you. Remember, all that glitters isn’t gold.
Get out more. Seriously, get
out with a lot of people and different people at that. Go find a couple that has been together for at
least twenty years and ask them
how they did it. I bet you will find
that they each went through several relationships before finding each
other. And I bet they won’t talk
about how much they miss or hate
their earlier relationships.
Grow up. I don’t mean act
your age, I mean let yourself grow.
Most of us “fall in love” with an
image of a person. We then have
to spend enough time with him or
her to find out if that image is also
done with it. They are afraid to walk
down each aisle; they want to know
that they will have toy even if they
don’t really like it. Some kids are
willing to walk the entire store before
choosing the one toy they want the
most. If you are afraid of breaking
up you will never be able to choose
wisely.
Picture yourself at a brand
new shopping mall. All around you
are stores that you have never seen
before. Do you go in? What if none
of the stores have what you want?
Of course you go in; that is the only
way to know if they have what you
want. Some people think ending a
relationship means they have wasted
their time. No, they didn’t waste
time; they did exactly what you have
to do in order to find a good relationship.
Bitterman, table for one. We
all get a little jealous from time to
time but hanging on to jealousy after
a break up is no good for anyone. If
you have that much hate for someone
you could not have possible been in
love with them. Jealousy is one emotion that almost always suggests that
you have other issues getting in the
way of forming relationships.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Conversely, if it is broke, don’t try to
fix it. Just let it go. People are not
like cars, investment accounts, or
abandoned puppies. If you buy the
car of your dreams and it doesn’t run,
you take it back to the dealer; you
don’t keep it and beg it to run. If
your investments aren’t giving you a
good return, you don’t keep dumping
money into them. And just because
an abandoned puppy is cute and helpless, you don’t have to keep it. If a
relationship isn’t working, it is because it isn’t working. That means it
is time to end it. It doesn’t mean you
failed, it doesn’t mean you wasted
time; it doesn’t mean you didn’t care,
and it doesn’t mean you are mean.
The only way to know if it will work
is to try it. As soon as you can tell it
won’t work, get out. No fault, no
blame. Just move on.
For more information on the
WKU Counseling & Testing Center
Check out our website at www.wku.edu/heretohelp/
SPOTLIGHT
PAT ROWAN, M.S.
grandchildren. I am thrilled to be at WKU and look
forward to serving students as they complete this stage
of that great adventure called life.
I am currently completing my
PsyD (Doctor of Psychology)
degree in Clinical Psychology at
the Georgia School of Professional Psychology in Atlanta,
Ga. My route to psychology has
been somewhat circuitous since
my BS from Washington State
University is in General Studies
(Physical Science Education)
and my second BS is in Computer Science from Sonoma State University in California. After many years
as a technical educator in the telecommunications
industry, I realized that my true passion is helping
people lead richer, fuller lives. In other words, it took
me a while to find what I wanted to be when I grew
up. That explains my MA in Applied Psychology
from Golden Gate University in San Francisco, Ca.,
and my pursuit of my doctorate. My true passion is
helping people. I am particularly interested in working with college students. Their energy and passion
for life is infectious and college represents a major
transition in their lives. In addition, I am drawn to a
focus on women’s issues, relationships and trauma. I
enjoy working from a more interpersonal and psychodynamic framework. In my down time, I enjoy photography, cooking, reading, and playing with my
C
C O L L E G E
KELLEY WILSON, M.S.
I received my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Samford University in Birmingham,
Ala., in 2008. Since
then, I have been working towards earning my
PhD in Clinical & Counseling Psychology at the
University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. I am excited
about helping college
students with the many
obstacles they may face as they work towards getting
a degree, and I am thrilled to be a part of the staff here
at WKU’s Counseling and Testing Center! In my
leisure time I enjoy cooking, relaxing with family and
friends, and trying my hand at art projects.
O U N S E L I N G
S H O U L D
That’s why we’re here to
help, offering our services Monday thru Friday from 8 a.m. –
4:30 p.m. There is a ONE-TIME
$20.00 fee for paperwork and
documentation. After the onetime fee, students have access to
unlimited visits for their entire
college career here at WKU. Our
services are confidential and NO
information is released without
the student’s written permission,
unless in an emergency situation.
B E
S
E R V I C E S
C H A L L E N G I N G
,
N O T
So if your mom, grandma, or
next door neighbor calls to learn
about your counseling appointment, “mums” the word.
We offer individual and
group counseling services to help
with coping strategies, conflict
resolution, and crisis situations
related to:
College Adjustment
Decision Making
Problem Behaviors
O V E R W H E L M I N G
Stress Management
Depression/Anxiety
Eating Disorders
Bipolar Disorder
Relationship Issues
Grief/Loss
Suicide Prevention
Sexual Assault/Abuse
….and more!
Don’t Forget! We also offer
counseling for couples of all
kinds: friends, relationships
and roommates.
Become a fan of WKU Counseling & Testing Center
www.facebook.com/WKU.CTC
The WKU Counseling & Testing Center presents
This group is open
to everyone,
regardless of
relationship status
or relationship
history. This
group will teach
skills that are
helpful in both
romantic and
friendly
relationships.
TOPICS WILL INCLUDE:
RELATIONSHIP
SKILLS GROUP
o What does a healthy relationship look
like, and why is it so important?
o Naming & setting boundaries
o How to effectively communicate
o How to be a better listener
o Making new friends & meeting new
people
WEDNESDAYS,
OCTOBER 15 – DECEMBER 3**
@ 5:00 – 6:30pm
Counseling & Testing Center
4th Floor, Potter Hall
To sign up for this free group, or to get more
information, call the Counseling and Testing
Center at (270) 745-3159.
We look forward to seeing you there!
**This group will not meet the Wednesday before
Thanksgiving, 11/26